


Turtles All The Way Down

by hannelore



Category: World of Warcraft
Genre: Bechdel Test Pass, Gen, Pandaren - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-25
Updated: 2012-12-25
Packaged: 2017-11-22 08:41:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/607943
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hannelore/pseuds/hannelore
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There's not many people on the Eastern Earthshrine, outside of Stormwind. Aysa Cloudsinger could probably find worse company, but she's not sure that's likely.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Turtles All The Way Down

**Author's Note:**

  * For [voleuse](https://archiveofourown.org/users/voleuse/gifts).



> I wondered how Aysa might be spending her time in Stormwind, particularly with not much company that would otherwise view her as a curiosity. This ended up perhaps being a bit sillier than intended, but I wanted to give you a little treat for being a pinch-hitter! Happy Yuletide!

Aysa remembered coming into Stormwind, the way the stone cobblestones felt underneath her feet. No sooner than she had stepped into Stormwind, she had already made her first blunder. The leader here was no emperor, but a king.

She couldn't remember how much time had passed since she had come to Stormwind. The land seemed flat here in comparison to her homeland, despite the rising mountains around them. King Varian had given them a small encampment on the outskirts of Stormwind near a place the humans called the Eastern Earthshrine. It was good to be close to the water, even if it was only a river and not the sea. She tried to tell herself this was a good place to be, a new start, a place where she and her kind were needed.

The first pandaren stragglers to Stormwind were gratefully welcomed by her. She wanted their company almost more than their allegiance to this new world. But they were usually eager to go on their way, to continue their adventures. 

One morning, Aysa was finishing her meditation by the river's edge when she heard someone treading through the water toward her. She smiled brightly, expecting pandaren but instead it was a human female.

"This seems somewhat ridiculous," said the young woman, looking a little sheepish, "but I don't think we've properly met."

Aysa now recognized her. She had seen the woman by the portals that were placed on at Eastern Earthshrine. Sometimes the portals seemed quite busy, with people going to places that Aysa had never heard of. But when the portals were quiet, she saw the woman standing steadfast at her station.

"I'm Aysa Cloudsinger"

"Kaellin Tarvane," the woman said and she extended her hand out toward Aysa. For a moment Aysa forgot that this was how humans tended to greet one another. She reached out her paw rather awkwardly and Kaellin shook it with similar awkwardness. Aysa chuckled. 

"Sorry, the nails sometime get in the way," she added. Kaellin grinned.

"You must get that a lot," Kaellin said. "I mean, I realize that sounds rude and all --"

"Ah, well," Aysa shrugged, "I think I've gotten used to it by now." 

"-- you know, since you sort of look like the bears around here --"

"-- er --"

"-- though kind of more well-groomed so you know it's not like shaking hands with a bear."

"Maybe you should have stopped while you were ahead," Aysa interrupted, "because now you _are_ being rude." 

"Oh!" Kaellin scratched the back of her head and looked sheepish, "Went on a bit there, didn't I. I do that when I'm nervous."

"It's quite all right," Aysa's smile was becoming a bit more forced. "So. Hello! Nice to meet you."

"I really kind of mucked it up," Kaellin said meekly.

"What?"

"I mean, I was really trying to make an effort to come over here and welcome you and all. Because I tend to just stand over there --" Kaellin gestured to the portals " -- and I noticed you don't get much company except other, ah, pandaren. So I thought I'd come and say hello."

"So you have. Maybe next time you could bring some ale," Aysa said. That would make your company slightly more bearable, she added to herself. "Oh! Someone's coming. If you'll excuse me."

\---

The day had been so busy that Aysa hadn't even given a second thought to the strange meeting with the bizarre female human. Several more pandaren had come to see her. One had been a particularly difficult case as her sister had decided to join the Horde. Aysa had sat with the young girl for awhile, telling her all about the Alliance and this source of serenity that the Alliance priests called the Light. At the end of their conversation, the girl seemed much more at ease with her lot and it made Aysa feel good too. As she had waved goodbye to the young girl, she looked at a flock of birds flying over the Stormwind ramparts. She was not sure if she could even quite call this place "home," but it wasn't particularly distasteful.

Aysa had lit a campfire and was watching the moon's light dappled against the river's surface when she heard splashing. In disbelief, she saw it was Kaellin holding a rather large keg under one arm and attempting to lift her skirts with her other hand , looking quite as if she was able to topple into the river. 

"Aysa? Aysa! I've brought you something."

Aysa groaned inwardly. "I see you have, but you know I'm really tired and I was just about to go to bed."

Kaellin set the keg down with a grunt and attempted to wring out a corner of her dress that had gotten wet. She straightened herself up and looked at Aysa so pitifully that Aysa felt quite sorry for her. She seemed to remind Aysa of an ungainly crane chick, newly hatched, bewildered and clumsy. The thought reminded of her of home and she remembered that Kaellin, too, was part of this new "family" that King Varian had mentioned. 

"I suppose we could have a drink," Aysa said with a sigh. Kaellin perked up. "One! One drink."

\---

"Oh gwan, I don't think you could even hit that tree on the other side."

"You can't hold your ale at all, can you?" Aysa said with a grin. Truth be told, she was feeling quite a bit tipsy herself as (to Kaellin's credit) it had been very good beer. Kaellin was standing, or rather weaving, a bit erratically on the bank. Some type of energy started to crackle in the palm of her hand, which made Aysa reach up and pull the young woman back down.

"I coulda made that tree bursht into flame," Kaellin said reproachfully. She hiccuped. 

"You would have probably set one of my turtles on fire," Aysa admonished. "Let's pretend I'm already really impressed."

"Eggshellent," Kaellin said, reaching around for her mug and taking another drink. 

"I think you're done for the night," Aysa said, pulling the mug from Kaellin's hand. "Come on, you'd better sleep in my tent. I don't want you to drown yourself in the river trying to get back."

"Mmmkay."

Aysa hauled Kaellin inside and let her flop down on the blankets. Kaellin grunted and rolled over onto your side. "But whadda about you?"

"It's a nice night," Aysa said, "I'll sleep outdoors."

"With the bearsh," Kaellin giggled.

Aysa had to laugh. "Yes, with the bears. Go to sleep."

\---

The sun was quite high in the sky when Kaellin finally woke up. She poked her head out of the tent and Aysa beamed at her. 

"I had to cover for you," Aysa said. "Some human came over here ranting about the portals being left unguarded."

Kaellin gasped and tried to get up, but then suddenly fell over flat on her face with a yelp.

"I'm joking," Aysa said. She tried to look serious but the sight of the woman tangled up in a heap made her break out in peals of laughter. She laughed and laughed, holding her sides as Kaellin struggled to get out of the tent, glaring at her. Kaellin sloshed her way across the river back toward the portals. Aysa wiped a tear of mirth from the corner of her eye, shaking her head.

\---

Aysa didn't see Kaellin for several days. She had been replaced by some stoic-looking human male who only looked Aysa's way with distrust. One day, a few other of his friends came by with some lunch and they pointed Aysa's way, laughing and talking. She couldn't quite hear what they were saying, but it made her feel terrible and she made a point of trying to sit out of their view whenever she could. 

At the end of the week, she was feeding the turtles when she heard a familiar voice.

"Do you ever get off this little parcel of land?"

Aysa looked up and saw Kaellin holding the reins of two horses. One was much larger than the other, some type of sturdy work horse. 

"Not often enough," Aysa said with a slight grin. 

"Maybe I could show you around?" Kaellin said. "I brought us some transportation."

"No way you're getting me on one of those," Aysa said. "We're taking my turtles."

"Turtles? You've got to be crazy."

"Wait until you see how fast these girls can go," Aysa beamed.

Kaellin hesitated, then she she shrugged. "What's the worst that could happen?"

\---

"You could have told me we were going swimming!"

"Well, they are turtles..."

"You did that just to get me soaked!"

Aysa only stopped laughing once they passed Goldshire.


End file.
